Archive for the Category »Jeep Travel «

Deputies used stop sticks to finally slow down the fleeing teens from Erwin, Tenn. — all either 13 or 14 years old — who led officers on a 46-mile Interstate 26 chase in a stolen Jeep Liberty.

The chase, which approached speeds of 100 mph, ended about 4 a.m. Tuesday when the teens crashed into a telephone pole.

The chain of events started shortly before 3 a.m. when one of the girls stole the Jeep from a friend’s mother. Erwin police were notified, and officers put out an alert for the vehicle, Erwin Police Chief Regan Tilson said.

The 14-year-old driver suffered a broken wrist and head wound, said her mother, Mysti Potter.

Potter said her daughter panicked when officers began pursuit, and one bad thing led to another.

“She panicked because she doesn’t have a license,” Potter said. “She freaked out and ran.”

Three friends in the car added to the stress.

“One was telling her to wreck the car and kill them all so they wouldn’t have to go to jail,” Potter said. “One was telling her to go, go, go, and one was telling her to stop.”

Potter said her daughter was treated at a local hospital then taken to a juvenile detention facility.

Madison officers said Potter’s daughter will be charged with felony fleeing to elude arrest, felony possession of a stolen vehicle, speeding and reckless endangerment, according to her mother.

“I do not want to go home without my child,” Potter said. “She’s my baby. She’s an A and B student. She’s had four C’s in her entire life.”

Two other girls in the car were treated for minor injuries.

Two of the juveniles were released to their parents without charges, Potter said. A third girl will face a minor charge, Potter said.

Tennessee authorities said charges are likely in that state as well. Madison County Sheriff’s Office officials declined to comment Monday, citing the ongoing investigation.

Tennessee officers stopped their pursuit at the state line, and the chase was taken up by Madison County deputies, Unicoi County Sheriff Mike Hensley said. Madison deputies chased the girls into Asheville, N.C., until the Jeep crashed.

According to Potter, the other girls came and picked up her daughter after the Jeep had been stolen.

“She didn’t know the car was stolen when she got in,” Potter said. The girls cruised around awhile, and at some point her daughter took a turn driving.

It was at that point that Unicoi sheriff’s deputies and Tennessee Highway Patrol officers spotted the vehicle on I-26 and gave chase.

Potter, who said her daughter is still dazed from her head wound, said she’s upset at how the girl was treated after the crash. Officers ordered her to put her hands up, then threw her on the ground and handcuffed her.

“They put handcuffs on the fractured wrist of a 14-year-old diabetic girl,” Potter said. “She’s got road rash on her shoulder from being thrown down.”

Police did not name the girls because they are juveniles. The Citizen-Times has withheld the name of Potter’s daughter for the same reason.

If you like lakes, how about a hike that takes you to several lakes? The Seven Sisters are a series of lakes on the Fall Creek Trail in the Holy Cross Wilderness.

The hike starts on Jeep road (directions below). Not just any Jeep road, but a rough, rocky, lifted-vehicles-with-special-gear, Jeep road.

From the parking area, hike up the road labeled 727. A quarter mile in, a second sign appears. It warns drivers that “beyond this point, the trail goes from moderate to difficult.” They’re not kidding. A few feet away is a rocky obstacle. Even hikers have to watch their footing, you can only imagine trying to drive here.

As you hike up the steep, rocky road, there is a treat. The road is near a loud, gushing creek. When the trees open up, you’ll be able to take photos of the cascades.

About 1.5 miles from the trailhead, there is suddenly a series of signs warning, no snowmobiles. Walk to the left of the snowmobile signs and look for a way over the creek. Hopefully you’ll see several logs piled up.

On the other side of the creek, the Jeep road and Fall Creek Trail begins. The Jeep road continues 0.8 miles to Holy Cross City, an old mining town with just a couple foundations left. Go right and you should see a sign for Fall Creek Tr. No. 2001. It’s hard to miss it because there’s a funky structure on the trail to keep Jeeps and snowmobiles from traveling this way.

Fall Creek Trail starts next to a large open cirque filled with a scenic meadow and surrounded by towering peaks. The trail can be difficult to follow at times, but try because you don’t want to damage the fragile flowers and plants in this area.

Just a few steps from the trailhead, you may see a rusted, wheel-like item. This is just the first of several mining fragments you may spot along the trail.

The trail winds along the edge of the meadow about 0.4 miles to a boundary sign for the Holy Cross Wilderness. There’s a permit station here for groups and backpackers. There’s also a trail split. Go straight ahead, Hunk Dory Lake is just a few feet away.

Hunky Dory Lake is a peaceful, quiet place away from the Jeep road. The lake sits between a rocky wall and a forest. After a photo stop, return to the main trail and walk to the other end of the lake. Take another picture in this small meadow of the lake and turn around, you may spot mining relic number 2 here. It looks like a harness, but it’s made of pipes.

After the scavenger hunt, it back to the trail. Over the next 1.1 miles, you’ll pass at least one large waterfall, see several nice cascades and enjoy the surrounded peaks. You may also spot mining relic #3 right on the trail.

As the trail gets higher, you’ll pass a couple ponds just off trail. I don’t know if these are part of the “Seven Sisters,” but 1.1 miles from Hunky Dory Lake, you’ll come to a large lake that is definitely one of the Seven Sisters. This is a beautiful lake at the base of a mountain. Find a rock to sit on and have a snack while you enjoy the views. Look down valley to see the scenery you just hiked through. Look at the lake and spot the island. Look up at the mountain peak. And look for a waterfall that spills into the lake. There’s another lake above that and that’s where we’re headed next.

Head back to the main trail and start climbing again. The trail winds through willows, wildflowers and some muddy spots. About 0.6 miles miles away is a surprise –two lakes! A small lake with a rocky shoreline on the right and a large, beautiful lake on the left side of the trail.

This is a great spot for lunch. As you enjoy the lake and its surroundings, you may hear chirpy noises of the marmots who live in these rocks. As you look up at the surrounding peaks, you may notice the trail continues on. From here, the trail climbs up Fall Creek Pass to Lake Constantine, Tuhare Lakes and beyond. If you hike up the trail, you’ll pass at least one more of the Seven Sisters lakes, too.

From here, you have options. 1. Hike to the top of the pass. 2. Hike over the pass to more of the lakes on the Fall Creek Trail. 3. Explore and try to find more of the Seven Sisters Lakes. 4. Return the way you came.

Details: The hike to the 2nd and 3rd lakes (as I call them) and back is about 7.6 miles with 2,200 feet of elevation gain.

Directions: From I-70, exit 171/Minturn/Leadville. Take Highway 24 south through Minturn. It’s 13 miles to Homestake Road #703. Turn right and take the dirt road past the Gold Park campground to mile 8.5. Turn right on Homestake Road #704 and drive 3 miles to a T. Turn right, go past the Fancy Lake trailhead and a bathroom. Take this rough, dirt road about 1.9 miles past the Fancy Lake trailhead to road 727. (At one point, the road you’re on looks to the left and another road goes straight ahead, take the road straight ahead.) In 2011 and 2012, part of the road was washed out. You can get around the wash out in a high-clearance vehicle or park here and walk to the trailhead.

Chrysler Group LLC’s biggest U.S.
investment in the year following its June 2009 bankruptcy exit
is about to show up under more of its hoods: transmissions with
additional gears to improve performance and boost fuel economy.

Eight-speed transmissions, more common in luxury vehicles
made by the likes of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) and Volkswagen
AG (VOW)’s Audi, will spread throughout Chrysler’s lineup beginning
late this year, said Mircea Gradu, vice president of
transmission powertrain and driveline engineering. The company
will introduce the industry’s first nine-speed transmissions by
the first half of 2013, he said.

“I’m convinced that, sooner or later, others will come up
with similar solutions,” Gradu said in an interview from his
office in Auburn Hills, Michigan, where Chrysler is based.
“Hopefully, the time will be as long as possible until they
catch up with the technology.”

While rivals tout hybrid cars, plug-in hybrids and pure
electrics, Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne is betting
he can meet regulatory requirements primarily by improving
traditional gasoline engines with the better transmissions. The
strategy takes less investment than developing a hybrid and has
already helped boost sales of cars such as the Chrysler 300.

The eight- and nine-speed transmissions will help Chrysler
meet stricter standards aimed at curbing emissions and raising
efficiency. President Barack Obama has proposed U.S. rules
requiring automakers to double their corporate average fuel
economy, known as CAFE, to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.

Alternative Path

Most automakers’ game plans are to use some gasoline-
electric hybrids, a modest number of electric vehicles and a
substantial amount of improvement in traditional internal-
combustion engines, Alan Baum, principal of auto-industry
forecaster Baum Associates in West Bloomfield, Michigan, said
in a telephone interview.

Chrysler hasn’t invested heavily in hybrids, and the only
electric vehicle it has announced is an electric Fiat 500
subcompact, primarily to comply with California “zero-emission
vehicle” mandates.

“Looking at how the various automakers are going to
satisfy CAFE, for most of the automakers you can come up with a
pretty reasonable path to get there,” Baum said. “And then you
look at Chrysler.”

For Chrysler to have a chance of staying in compliance
through 2025 without dramatically changing their engines, “the
answer is the transmissions” for now, Baum said.

“They’re getting tremendous differentiation from their old
product,” said Baum.

Conventional Efficiency

Chrysler’s investments related to its transmissions, which
the company has said totals $1.3 billion since 2007, show that
Marchionne’s approach is to squeeze efficiency out of
conventional gas-burning engines rather than make costly bets on
hybrid and electric vehicles that account for a small slice of
sales in the U.S. and Europe, said Michael Omotoso a powertrain
analyst at LMC Automotive.

“They’re doing basically the bare minimum to satisfy
government regulations,” he said. “Their strategy is to meet
the standards with minimum investment.”

Marchionne may have little choice: Fiat SpA (F), Chrysler’s
majority owner, has seen sales slump amid the European credit
crisis, which has sapped demand in Italy, its home market.

Gradu keeps a photograph in his office of Marchionne posing
with his team of about 20 engineers after an hour-long meeting
about the transmission and its debut in the Charger, which he
said is an “illustration of the high-level support that we get
in this area.”

Gears Help

Transmissions link the output of an engine to the wheels,
and they have multiple gears to switch among as speed increases
or decreases. Like the difference between a 10-speed bicycle and
a three-speed, more gears means more points where the powerplant
can propel the vehicle most efficiently.

The nine-speed transmissions, which Chrysler is developing
with Germany’s ZF Friedrichshafen AG, could boost fuel economy
of models such as Dodge Grand Caravan minivans by as much as 16
percent, according to the supplier. The predicted gain is in
line with the 15 percent boost in highway fuel economy that was
achieved when Chrysler offered eight-speed transmissions in
Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger sedans with the 2011 model year.

Adding the eight-speeds to the big, rear-wheel-drive 300
and Charger allowed Chrysler to advertise 31 mpg (50 kpg) per
gallon in highway driving, according to the Energy Department’swebsite. Combined deliveries for the two models are up 68
percent through the first six months of this year.

Kokomo Production

Chrysler will try to replicate that success by starting
production of the eight-speeds at its plants in Kokomo, Indiana,
late this year, Gradu said.

Chrysler said in June 2010 that it would invest $300
million in the Kokomo plants to accommodate production of the
transmissions licensed from ZF.

The transmissions will spread to new models, including the
Dodge Dart compact car and Ram 1500 pickups, and may be offered
in future versions of the Dodge Challenger muscle car and Jeep
Grand Cherokee and Wrangler sport-utility vehicles, Gradu said.

“Anything that will be rear-wheel-drive based, we will
consider this,” he said of the eight-speeds. The nine-speeds
are intended for front-wheel-drive models, he said, including
minivans. The nine-speed transmission will be exclusive to
Chrysler when it goes into production by the first half of 2013.

Honda Interest

Honda Motor Co. (7267) is interested in being the next automaker
to get the technology, said Omotoso, who is based in Troy,
Michigan. Bryan Johnson, a spokesman for ZF in Northville,
Michigan, declined to comment.

Honda has said it plans to offer continuously variable
transmissions across its lineup, starting with the redesigned
Accord midsize sedan this year. Ed Miller, a Detroit-based Honda
spokesman, declined to confirm other future transmissions.

LMC Automotive sees Chrysler adding the eight-speed
transmission to Grand Cherokee either in the 2013 or 2014 model
year, Omotoso said. The researcher also predicts that the eight-
speed will be in the Dodge Durango and Maserati Kubang SUVs. The
Kubang shares the Grand Cherokee’s underpinnings and is going to
be built by Chrysler at a plant in Detroit.

Jeep also may introduce a large SUV called the Grand
Wagoneer to replace the Jeep Commander in 2014, Omotoso said. If
Chrysler moves forward with that plan, LMC sees the model
getting the eight-speed automatic.

“This is going to help them pull ahead of GM and Ford” in
terms of which companies have the best transmission offerings,
Omotoso said.

LMC expects that Ford and GM will develop their own eight-
speeds and have them ready by 2014 for the next generation of
Cadillac CTS sedan, Cadillac Escalade SUV, Lincoln MKS sedan and
Lincoln MKX crossover.

The nine-speed transmission can go in “essentially any”
front-wheel drive platform in Chrysler’s lineup, including the
minivans, Gradu said. LMC also expects to see the nine-speed in
crossovers for the Chrysler and Alfa Romeo brands in 2013 or
2014, according to Omotoso.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Craig Trudell in Southfield, Michigan, at
ctrudell1@bloomberg.net;

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Jamie Butters at
jbutters@bloomberg.net.

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 29, 2012 – Snorkel the Blue Hole, ride a camel and go bargain shopping in Dahab on our day trip from Sharm el Sheikh. If your time in Egypt is limited, this is the day tour you are looking for! Pick up from your hotel and Take the off road trail and experience frost hand the best of what Sinai has to offer. This may not be the most comfortable way to see the sights on offer but it’s certainly the most fun. Experienced drivers in air-conditioned jeeps will take you on an exhilarating of road excursion to see the Bedouins and their villages, compare four wheels with four legs as you travel like a local on an unforgettable camel ride. Snorkeling at the famous blue hole completes the activates for the day, then time to chill out in Dahab with lunch at local restaurant. And then back to your hotel.

Tons of upgrades… I’m looking to trade for a truck. All offers considered. I’m available to show the jeep most days after 3 PM

This is a Jeep Wrangler (YJ). I’ve had this jeep for about 2 years. Fantastic jeep does very well off-road. I have a few things Ill include with it to whoever buys it.

It has a 4.0 inline 6 (HO)

Its backed with an AX15 Manuel transmission.

Behind that is the NP231. This is a rebuilt transfer case. I rebuilt it last November.

Stock Dana 30 front axle, Dana 35 rear.

4″ lift. 2″ body 2″ spring. That’s how it was when I bought it.

Custom swing out tire carrier with full size spare.

What’s been done in the last year.

New slotted and drilled rotors as well as brake pads.

New exhaust system (headers haven’t been installed yet, will go to whoever buys the jeep) Flow Master high flow cat, Magna Flow muffler.

I also have a sound bar I’ve yet to install

Starter

Alternator

Valve cover (upgraded to a later 4.0 cover) and gasket

Rear main seal

Oil pan gasket (when I did the rear main seal)

Timing Cover (and gasket)

Harmonic Balancer

Upgraded roll cage to the 92+ family style cage (matching color)

Brand new frame less soft top

33″ big o tires tons of tread left

Temp sensor

Thermostat (all new coolant in the last 3 months)

Locking center console

Modified TJ upper doors

Upgraded to the TJ intake tube, and custom filter box

Air horn

Upgraded injectors (orange 4 pin ford injectors) better atomization giving better fuel efficiency and more power (when you want to use it)If i remember correctly they are the 32lb injectors.

bored out throttle body (more air to give more power)

I know there’s more but at the moment I can’t think of it at the moment

I’m in no hurry to sell this so please don’t try to low ball me. I’m happy to hear offers, best if contacted via text.

I honestly want to trade for a pickup more than sell it. I’ve got a few projects and am in the process of starting a new business that unfortunately a Jeep just work for I need to be able to haul some metal that doesn’t fit in the jeep.

I can best be contacted via text (801-300-5056) and am happy to send any pictures or any details you may want

Officials say a jeep has veered off a highway in Nepal, killing 14 people who were on their way to cremate the body of a relative. Two others were seriously injured.

District official Chet Narayan Ghimire says the dead included 13 Nepali citizens and their Indian driver. He says the accident occurred Saturday in Palpa district, 300 kilometers (185 miles), west of Katmandu, as the group was traveling to a pilgrimage spot to cremate the body.

Ghimire says few other details are available because the driver was killed and the two survivors are too badly injured to provide information.

View full sizeStuart Tomlinson/The OregonianRhino, the pit bull who was dragged 600 feet through a Troutdale parking lot, has made a full recovery.No one, not even the prosecutor, argued that four people riding in a Jeep that dragged a pit bull 600 feet across a Troutdale parking lot intended to hurt the dog.

But the question posed to a judge during a two-day trial this week was this: Is it a crime to tie a dog to a car, forget about it, then drive off?

The Multnomah County district attorney’s office thought so, trying two of the four people in the SUV for second-degree animal abuse. That required the prosecutor to prove that the men recklessly injured Rhino, an 80-pound pit bull.

The dog’s toenails were ripped off and his paws bloodied before the car’s occupants realized their terrible mistake.

The case sparked vigorous and wide-ranging arguments in court about the definition of animal abuse:

The trial cast a public light on the hardscrabble lives of the four people who were living in the Jeep — along with Rhino, two cats, a hamster, a rabbit and a python. The friends, all in their early 20s, hoped to rent an apartment together, but had no immediate timeline.

On the day of the dragging, the four were passing time near McDonald’s and the truck stop on Northwest Frontage Road. Allen Michael Cook, the car’s driver and owner, and front-seat passenger Nicholas Falkenhagen testified that Launa Dickerson, the dog’s owner, wanted to stretch out in the back and said the dog had to go outside.

Falkenhagen, 21, said he let the dog crawl from the back seat into the front seat, across his lap and outside. He said he tied the dog’s leash to the passenger-side door handle.

View full sizeAllen CookCook, 20, got some water for the dog, and all four friends rested in the car. About an hour passed before they decided to leave to meet a friend. Both men said they forgot about the dog, but Cook said he quickly realized what was happening when he heard people near McDonald’s screaming: “There’s a dog! Dog! Dog!”

That same instant, Falkenhagen said he also realized the dog was tethered to the car. He jumped out of the moving car and scooped up the dog, he said, just as Cook was bringing the Jeep to a stop. Both men testified that they didn’t hear any yelps from the dog as the car was moving.

The two men said they were crying as they used what little water they had to wash away the blood from Rhino’s paws. They put a pair of Cook’s socks over the dog’s paws to prevent him from licking them. Just as someone offered them some saline, Troutdale police arrived.

View full sizeNicholas FalkenhagenTroutdale police officer Kyle Harris, however, testified that when he arrived, the men were smiling and laughing. They agreed with the officer that the dog should go to the veterinarian’s office, while Dickerson declared: “You’re not taking my dog anywhere!” the officer said.

Cook and Falkenhagen said they were only laughing because some truckers saw how distraught they were and were trying to lighten the mood.

In the end, Rhino did go to the vet in the back of a police cruiser, with Falkenhagen holding the dog in his arms.

Prosecutors originally charged everyone in the car, but later dropped charges against Dickerson and back-seat passenger Justin Rinde. Prosecutor Jacob Kamins said his office pursued charges against Cook and Falkenhagen because they were actively involved in the circumstances that led up to the dog’s dragging.

For first time offenders, the misdemeanor animal-abuse charge carries a sentence of probation, community service and a possible fine. State law also calls for a five-year ban on pet ownership — one of the chief reasons the prosecutor said his office pursued the case.

To get convictions, however, Kamins had to prove that the men were “reckless” — meaning they knew they were taking a risk by tying the dog to a moving vehicle and that they disregarded the risk. He argued that they should have tied Rhino to a tree or lamppost and should have checked on the dog instead of lazing in the car for an hour.

“At the end of the day, these animals don’t have anyone else to go to,” Kamins said. “This is a creature who puts its entire trust in the person who is controlling it.”

But defense attorney Edward LeClaire said it was an accident. He likened the case to “National Lampoon’s Vacation” — in which a cop let’s Clark Griswold off for killing the dog.

Lisa Pardini, another defense attorney, argued that even people in prominent positions of power sometimes make bad decisions, such as Mitt Romney.

“Our presidential candidate tied up a dog and drove off with him for quite a while,” Pardini said.

To that, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Kenneth Walker said: “I would have probably found him guilty for that.”

But the judge said this situation was different.

“This case is one of those that is really, really close,” Walker said.

He said the men were negligent, but he had reasonable doubt that the men were reckless. So he dismissed their case.

Cook and Falkenhagen exchanged smiles. Moments later, they said they felt tremendous relief. But they still feel bad about what happened to Rhino.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t feel upset with what happened,” Cook said.

Now, more than two months later, all of the pets that were confiscated from the Jeep have been adopted, with the exception of Rhino. His former owners might take him back, or the county’s Animal Services shelter might put him up for adoption. He’s made a full recovery.

Provincetown Dune Tour Saturday, Sept. 8. Cost is $90 per person. Join Wilmington Recreation for a narrated 75-minute jeep/van tour of the historic sand dunes on the Provincetown Cape Cod National Seashore. Enjoy a luncheon at the Whitman House in Truro followed by free time in Provincetown to browse the quaint shops and boutiques. En route home, stop in Truro for a tour of historic Highland Light. Add motorcoach transportation, tour escort, light snacks during your travel to and from the Cape and you have a wonderful trip to cap off the summer.

At home alone Wednesday, Aug. 22, 4-6 p.m., Town Hall auditorium. Cost is $18. In this two-hour class the instructor will discuss topics designed to prepare children entering grades 4 – 6 to remain home alone. Discussions will include such topics as how to handle knocks and rings, and who to call in an emergency. The cost for this class is $18. This class may be the perfect way to begin this discussion in your home.

Decadent day trip Saturday, Aug. 4. Cost is $88 per person. Imagine indulging in a chocolate fountain at Swan chocolate, a complete luncheon at the Bedford Village Inn and an afternoon sampling wine at Zorvino Vineyard Winery. A complete flyer on this new day trip is available in the Recreation Office and on our website.

Saratoga Springs trip Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25-26. Cost is $275 per person, double occupancy. It’s off to the races at the beautiful Saratoga Race Course. Saturday morning travel by motorcoach to New York, where the day begins with a guided tour of Saratoga Springs. This afternoon, check in to the elegant Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls. This evening travel to Lake George for a dinner cruise aboard the Lac du Saint Sacrement steamship. On Sunday, visit Haven Oaks Horse Farm to learn about the raising and training of these incredible racehorses. Then it’s off to your reserved grandstand seat at the Saratoga Race Course to enjoy the thrill of thoroughbred racing at its finest.

Summer newsletter It’s that time again. The Recreation Department’s summer edition of “Recreation Matters” is hot off the presses. Check out our current listing of summer and fall programs, tickets and trips. The newsletter is available at the Wilmington Memorial Library, the Buzzell Senior Center and in the Recreation Department in Town Hall, Room 8. If you prefer to read it online, go to www.wilmingtonma.gov. Once there, click on the Recreation prompt to open the Recreation Department’s webpage. This site has multiple links that will allow you to easily browse through our offerings. While there, click on “Subscribe to E-Alerts” to receive an e-mail each time we update our newsletter. Sign up for “Recreation News” today.

E-mail alerts The town of Wilmington’s new website allows residents to subscribe to e-mail alerts. With this new feature, town departments can generate an e-mail to notify residents of upcoming meetings, urgent news or program updates. To register, go to the town website at www.wilmingtonma.gov. Click on “Subscribe to E-Alerts” to enroll. While there, visit the Recreation page and check out all the Recreation Department has to offer. For those waiting for the next edition of “Recreation Matters,” the Recreation Department’s quarterly newsletter, select Recreation News to receive an e-mail when the website is updated and a new edition of the newsletter has been posted. “Recreation Matters” is updated in February, May and August. Sign up today so you don’t miss a thing.

General information Pre-registration is required for all programs except community events. Forms of payment accepted are cash and checks. You can register for these or other programs in person at Wilmington Town Hall, 121 Glen Rd., Room 8, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For your convenience, you can also register by mail or use the “Payment Drop Off” slot outside the front door of Town Hall. Forms and additional information are available on the website, www.wilmingtonma.gov.